We all know how important a book’s first page is for catching a reader’s attention. It’s arguably one of the most stressful parts of a book to write, but there is no real set way to ensure you do it right. In fact, the more different it is to other Read more
After a book has been through critiques and beta readers, it’s usually ready for the public. At this point, once all your edits are completed, you want to have some proofreaders. These readers are people who go through the book and look for typos, grammar issues, and formatting problems. I’d Read more
Last week we discussed how to give a critique of a manuscript as a writer, and this week I want to cover how to give feedback as a reader. Beta readers are people who read through the story to see how it impacts readers. It’s about the emotional response and Read more
As writers, we inevitably meet other writers who ask if we can read their manuscript and give them some feedback. If this happens, you need to first establish if they want a critique as a fellow writer, feedback as a beta reader, or proofreading. They are three very different approaches, Read more
Subplots are like mini stories, but they must support and enhance the main plot. That last point often gets overlooked, but it’s very important. If you have a subplot that does nothing to broaden or deepen your main plot, then it’s just fluff you need to delete. Subplots should deepen Read more
When I first started writing professionally, I felt that there was no such thing as writer’s block. In my opinion, ideas were everywhere, and I thought that if you couldn’t write then you were just being lazy. As I’ve become a more experienced writer, I still think ideas are everywhere, Read more
Scenes are units of story that, when stacked together, make up a whole story. A scene happens in one time and space from one POV and must have a change arc. In this post, we are going to explore three not widely known facts about scenes that will help you Read more
You may have heard the terms character driven and plot driven and assumed you knew what they meant, but this concept is harder to grasp than it seems. I originally thought I wrote character driven fantasies, but I’ve recently been rethinking that statement. While I believe my stories are very Read more
After I finish my first draft of a book, I like to take a break and then come back with fresh eyes to do a book analysis before doing any rewriting. My analysis basically entails me rereading the book and marking issues I’d like to correct. While I’m reading, I Read more
This week is going to seem a little random in topics, but I wanted to share five online resources that have helped me on my author career. These are tools for any part of your author journey, whether you are building a brand, brainstorming a story, researching facts, or just Read more